


a fleeting beauty

by mauvepens



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Dead Leo Valdez, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:00:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28065876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mauvepens/pseuds/mauvepens
Summary: jason is in love with leo. leo is dead.
Relationships: Jason Grace & Leo Valdez, Jason Grace/Leo Valdez
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24





	a fleeting beauty

**Author's Note:**

> so, this is an AU where the physicians cure doesn't exist, and leo and jason are dating.

jason had noticed that something was off about leo recently. leo talked less and observed more, sitting back to watch team discussions with a melancholy smile on his face, like he was drinking it all in. he had also taken to spending long hours tinkering, distancing himself from jason. 

whenever jason tried to intercept him on his way around the ship he was brushed off with a bright smile and a quick kiss. honestly, leo’s laugh just struck him a little dumb every time he heard it, which allowed leo to slip away. 

he had tried to talk to piper about leo's strangeness, but she didn't seem that worried.

"that's just leo, he needs some space sometimes. i wouldn't stress about it". 

_why did you have to do it, we loved you, we loved you_

jason was still in shock from festus suddenly coming back to life when he grabbed piper around the waist to fly them up to where leo was. he was dimly aware of the battle going on below, but jason's attention was fixed completely on his boyfriend's figure grappling with the earth goddess.

as piper began talking to gaea, jason watched as leo was completely consumed with fire, the thing he had hated for so long. leo barely ever used it, the workshop accident always fresh in his mind. personally, jason thought that leo looked gorgeous with his fire. it was like an extension of his body, the tendrils of warm colors lighting up his copper skin. now though, leo looked made of flame, like some ancient creature of great power. 

suddenly, jason realized that his eyelids were growing heavier as piper lulled gaea to sleep. he dimly noticed that leo didn't seem to be affected, his fire burning bright as ever. then the maelstrom of dirt and rocks stopped, leaving only the wild wind. the earth goddess was in human form, her hair whipping around her sleeping face. 

"listen, you two need to get away," leo yelled out from his position on festus's back, voice muffled from distance. "i'll take care of fertilizer woman over here".

jason didn't want to think about the implications of that statement. "leo, what the hell are you talking about? you won't be able to make it out of this". 

leo's smile softened as he glanced over at jason, brown eyes crinkling in the corners. "it was always either you or me, and i think we both know which one of us should make it out. love you, jase". 

and with that jason watched as the sky was painted gold as leo, his best friend, his failsafe, the boy he loved exploded in a plume of fire. 

_come back, come back, you can't leave yet_

leo was dead. jason knew this for a fact. he didn't think he would ever get the image of leo's bloodsoaked toolboat out of his head. it was the only thing they had found. the rest of leo, his wild curls, his soft freckles, his dainty nose, were all vaporized along with gaea. 

jason couldn't bear to set foot in bunker nine these days. everything was just so leo it hurt. the crumpled up notes in the corner, the tiny toys he made, the blueprints that were nothing short of genius. it even smelled like leo, smoke with a hint of sandalwood. if jason closed his eyes, he could pretend that he was back when leo was building the argo. back when jason routinely came to carry leo off to bed after he fell asleep at six in the morning after pulling an all-nighter.

logically, jason knew he wasn't the only one in mourning. cabin nine had lost another head counselor. another valdez had left hazel. piper was desolate without her best friend. 

but for jason, leo was his compass, his rock. his flickering flame against the darkness. 

"and the worst of it is," jason said to piper with a blank look on his face. "is that leo thought he didn't deserve anything. that he didn't deserve to be fucking happy for once. he thought he didn't deserve to _live_ , piper". jason sat up and started pacing and waving his hands wildly. "and we didn't know. we let him martyr himself to save everyone else, because it was leo, **why would he have the slightest regard for his own life".**

_did you think, did you think, about those you left behind_

**Author's Note:**

> i don't know, no matter what i change i'm not completely satisfied. oh well.


End file.
